Patents by Inventor Haruhiko Tanahashi

Haruhiko Tanahashi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5188392
    Abstract: A steering system for a vehicle including a fixed body secured to the body of the vehicle, a fixed shaft rotatably supported by the fixed bracket, a movable bracket connected for relative axial movement to the fixed bracket, a movable shaft rotatably supported by the movable bracket and connected to the shaft so as to be axially movable relative to the fixed shaft and rotatable as one unit with the fixed shaft, a driving mechanism disposed on the fixed bracket and connected to move the movable bracket and the movable shaft axially relative to both the fixed bracket and the fixed shaft, and a control mechanism for controlling the level of the frictional force acting between the fixed bracket and the movable bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Sugiki, Masanobu Ishikawa, Nobuhiro Yoshida, Haruhiko Tanahashi, Kiyokatsu Miura
  • Patent number: 4877262
    Abstract: A cylindrical upper support interposed between a body of a vehicle and a piston rod of a shock absorber of the vehicle, including a generally cylindrical or annular inner rigid member, a generally cylindrical outer rigid member, and an elastic body interposed between the inner and outer rigid members for elastically connecting the inner and outer rigid members. The elastic body has two fluid chambers which are filled with a non-compressible fluid and which are formed in respective intermediate portions thereof as viewed in axial directions of the rigid members, such that the fluid chambers are opposed to each other in a diametric direction of the inner rigid member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1989
    Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Haruhiko Tanahashi, Yoshikazu Tsukamoto, Shinji Miyakawa
  • Patent number: 4822073
    Abstract: In a vehicle front suspension of the type wherein a control arm is vertically pivotally mounted to a vehicle body at two inboard end portions thereof spaced apart substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction through respectively a front and a rear elastic linkage bearing and is horizontally pivotably connected at an outboard end portion thereof with a wheel support member bearing a knuckle arm extending rearwardly and rotatably supporting a vehicle wheel, and the free end of the knuckle arm is pivotably connected with an end portion of a tie rod for steering of the vehicle, the rear elastic linkage bearing is constructed to exhibit non-linear spring characteristics such as to exhibit a first spring constant with respect to force acting thereto in a vehicle lateral direction and not exceeding a certain value and a second spring constant which is lower than said first spring constant with respect to the lateral force exceeding said certain value, and the first spring constant of the rear elastic linkage
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1989
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Haruhiko Tanahashi, Noritoshi Arai
  • Patent number: 4795009
    Abstract: The twin-tube type shock absorber wherein a piston-rod extends downward from a piston and penetrates a lower end portion of an outer shell. Pressurized gas in a reservoir chamber is positioned in an upper portion of the outer shell where the piston-rod does not penetrate the outer shell. Since a seal disposed between the piston-rod and the lower end portion of the outer shell is not exposed to the gas in the reservoir chamber, no gas leakage occurs through the portion where the piston-rod penetrates the outer shell. In addition, the piston-rod is connected to a member disposed on a wheel side of a suspension spring of a vehicle, so that vibrational characteristics of a vehicle body is improved and bubbling of a liquid in the outer shell is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1989
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Haruhiko Tanahashi, Makoto Hayashi
  • Patent number: 4650211
    Abstract: A dual link type suspension for suspending a body of a vehicle with respect to a wheel, including a wheel support member for supporting the wheel to be rotatable about a horizontal axis generally lateral to the vehicle body, front and rear link members arranged side by side and extending generally horizontally and laterally to the vehicle body and generally flexibly connected with the vehicle body at their inboard ends and with the wheel support member at their outboard ends, the connection between the front link member and the wheel support member being forward from the axis of rotation of the wheel by a distance L1, while the connection between the rear link member and the wheel support member being rearward from the axis of rotation of the wheel by a distance L2, and a strut rod member extending generally horizontally and longitudinally to the vehicle body and generally flexibly connected with the vehicle body at one end thereof and with the vehicle support member at another end thereof, wherein the front
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Haruhiko Tanahashi
  • Patent number: 4632423
    Abstract: A stabilizer for a vehicle suspension has a central rod portion supported so as to be rotatable about its own axis by the vehicle body. An arm portion is coupled to a shock absorber by a connecting link at one end pivotally attached to the end of the arm portion and at the other end pivotally connected to the shock absorber. The pivot point between the arm portion and the connecting link is positioned below the pivot point of the shock absorber and the connecting link and is positioned on the opposite side of the axis of the shock absorber relative to the central rod portion when the vehicle wheel is in a neutral position. The pivot point between the arm portion and the connecting link moves along a locus which has a region such that the minimum distance from the pivot point to the axis of the shock absorber decreases with an increase in the vertical displacement of the vehicle wheel from the neutral position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1986
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Haruhiko Tanahashi
  • Patent number: 4593578
    Abstract: In a rack and pinion type steering gear device having a rack guide to urge a rack from behind for applying a preload to the meshing engagement of tooth surfaces of the rack and pinion, wherein the rack guide is formed of an oleoresinous material having a low coefficient of friction and elastically deformable to a compression load to a predetermined value. The rack guide can bear a high load as compared with the conventional rack guide for the same displacement value, so that the rack guide can have a resisting force of a high value. Because of this, the pinion and the rack which are urged by the rack guide are not easily separated from each other under an external force.The rack guide preferably includes a guide body having a rack sliding surface and outer peripheral ribs, and an elastic ring having the bottom end portion extending towards a nut farther by a predetermined value than the bottom end portion of said outer peripheral ribs and being elastically deformable to a compression load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuo Kobayashi, Haruhiko Tanahashi
  • Patent number: 4486028
    Abstract: A front wheel support structure for an automobile comprises a first support fixed to a body, a second support disposed beneath and spaced at the inner portion thereof from the first support, contacting a bound stopper at the underside of the inner peripheral portion and secured fixedly to the first support at the outer peripheral portion, a mount rubber disposed between both supports, a connecting member secured fixedly to the mount rubber and mounted on the upper portion of a piston rod of a shock absorber and a bearing seat disposed at the underside of the second support and contacting a spring seat for receiving the upper end of a coil spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1984
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Haruhiko Tanahashi